• How to invent a non-alcoholic brand: Gluckman on Aqua Libra

    It’s always the receptionist – the most connected person in any company. Want to come up with a name for an iconic, cult drink that Princess Diana later confesses to being her favourite drink? Why you ask the receptionist of course and she comes up with the name (well, half of it at least). Things were very different for drinks inventor David Gluckman in the 1980s. The man who helped invent Bailey’s, and many other iconic brands, recalls the fascinating time when you were given a brief, came up with an idea and more or less just ran with it. As the non-alcoholic sector starts developing in earnest, we asked Gluckman to recall how one of the original products came to see the light of day – Agua Libra.

    It’s always the receptionist – the most connected person in any company. Want to come up with a name for an iconic, cult drink that Princess Diana later confesses to being her favourite drink? Why you ask the receptionist of course and she comes up with the name (well, half of it at least). Things were very different for drinks inventor David Gluckman in the 1980s. The man who helped invent Bailey’s, and many other iconic brands, recalls the fascinating time when you were given a brief, came up with an idea and more or less just ran with it. As the non-alcoholic sector starts developing in earnest, we asked Gluckman to recall how one of the original products came to see the light of day – Agua Libra.

    mm By February 23, 2018

    Ahead of the sports drinks and recent non-alcoholic drinks curve, Aqua Libra pushed a number of the right buttons, and its only serious competition at the time? A just-launched small bottle of fizzy water called Perrier.

    Non-alcoholic alcoholic drinks seem to be the rage these days and they’re popping up all over the place. There’s Diageo-sponsored Seedlip about which I’ll say no more (if you want my views click here), 0.0% beers and even the re-emergence of Eisberg, a wine of ‘no more than 0.05% alcohol’.

    Aqua Libra
    Gluckman courted controversy with his outspoken comments on The Buyer about Seedlip, the new darling of the back bar

    Just to show there’s nothing new under the sun, I have to report that we went down that route in the mid-1980s under the sponsorship of IDV, one of the companies that merged to form Diageo.

    Their director of marketing at the time, an inspired gentleman called Tim Ambler saw problems looming for the drinks industry. Drink-drive was getting more attention and general health issues were gaining in prominence.

    “We need to look for alternatives,” was Ambler’s directive. “Can we find non-alcoholic drinks that are sophisticated in taste and which deliver a benefit to the consumer that goes beyond simple fizzy drinks?”

    Aqua LibraThere was already a brand out there that was taking the UK and other markets by storm. It was the French naturally carbonated water, Perrier. It sold in supermarkets for a then hefty 69p for a 75 cl bottle. Its stylish ‘EAU’ advertising campaign positioned Perrier as the ‘fashionable alternative’ to wine, beer or spirits and cool young folk could be seen quaffing it straight from small bottles in trendy establishments.

    To me, as a hard-nosed forty-something, it was a case of paying hugely over the odds for ‘posh soda water’.

    IDV under Ambler’s direction set up a tiny company called Callitheke whose remit was to tackle this hypothesised ‘non-alcoholic opportunity’.

    Aqua LibraWe started, for no particular reason, with a sports drink. Called Dexters Isotonic it “Puts back the minerals exercise takes out – without the calories.”

    It did pretty well. The issue was the next Callitheke brand. We wrestled with the problem for about half a year, which was an unusually long time for us.

    The problem was, we didn’t really know what objective we were trying to achieve. And nor did our client, Tim Ambler.

    Then one day he simplified everything.

    “Dexters was largely about men. Let’s do a brand that will appeal more to women.”

    “Imagine the coolest club in town. I’m in the middle of a group of top models. Kate Moss and all her crowd. And we’re all drinking this drink. It’s the smart alternative to alcohol.”

    Nothing happened for a week or so and then everything came together like magic.

    Aqua LibraI was on the telephone to the Gas board and I noticed a book on my assistant’s desk called The Joy of Beauty by Leslie Kenton. I browsed through it as I listened to the piped music.

    And then I saw it. There was a statement saying that the reason why people in some countries, especially in the Far East, are healthier than we are, is because their diet is rich in ALKALINE-FORMING ingredients.

    And that was it. We’d do a healthy drink that would restore our alkaline balance and that would be the foundation of our story. It seemed like a new wave health benefit. I bought the story. I was buzzing.

    I was sharing an office with a design company at the time and I breezed into the reception area and asked “can anyone think of a brand name that suggests balance?” In reality, I was so excited I just wanted to tell everyone about the idea.

    Agnes Stanley, the receptionist said “Well, Libra means balance.” And that was it. We’d call it Aqua Libra.

    I took the idea to Tim sketched on the back of an envelope and he bought it immediately. No debate, no research, we’d just do it.

    The next thing was to brief a pack design. We were going to the US on a business trip and I talked to designer Bob Wagner (the man who did the Baileys label) on the telephone and outlined what we were after.

    We got back four days later and there was a parcel on the desk from Bob. It contained a single design. And it was perfect.

    Aqua Libra

    The next task was to design the product, and IDV’s brilliant technical team came up with an amazing liquid. It was complex yet familiar and, as things turned out, it was a taste that polarised opinion. Some loved it while others hated it. I guess that’s what you’d define as ‘sophisticated’.

    Aqua LibraI can’t recall a development where there was so little disagreement. Everything just felt right: idea, name, packaging and product. After six months of flailing around, the important stuff happened in a matter of weeks.

    And we sold Aqua Libra for £1.79 a 75cl bottle, nearly three times Perrier’s price. And people bought it in ever-increasing numbers.

    Aqua Libra became one of the cult drinks of the 1980s and it even exceeded Tim’s ‘top model’ objective. In an interview in The Mail on Sunday, Princess Diana pronounced it one of her favourite drinks. That was an endorsement you couldn’t buy and we didn’t.

    The music died for Aqua Libra in the early 90s when IDV’s focus was on merging with GuinnessUD to form Diageo. Aqua Libra was not in the company’s mainstream area of interest and was sold on.

    unnamed-2-1The brand has finally landed in Britvic’s lap and they’ve ‘relaunched’ it in a can with a totally different product. I’ll leave it to someone else to pass judgment on that version. It sells for £1 a can in Boots.

    It was over 30 years ago that Tim Ambler identified the ‘non-alcoholic opportunity’. Being ahead of your time can be a mixed blessing. We will watch the forthcoming feeding frenzy with interest.

    ©David Gluckman 2018

    For the full Aqua Libra story, and more, read David’s book about the drinks business, “That s*it will never sell!” It can be previewed and ordered on www.that shitwillnever sell.com

      • Joyce Cicognani
      • July 5, 2018
      Reply

      PLEASE PLEASE bring back Acqua Libra in its original form.

      • Industries: Buyer Retailer
      • tina
      • September 14, 2018
      Reply

      where can i get an original Aqua libra mmmm please!

      • Industries: Buyer Retailer
    1. Reply

      BRING IT BACK. BRING IT BACK

      • Industries: Buyer Retailer
      • Michelle
      • October 22, 2018
      Reply

      Love the original flavour, bring it back!!

      • Industries: Other
      • Sher
      • November 7, 2018
      Reply

      Yes! Please bring it back. It was unique and it would sell sell SELL!

      • Industries: Other
      • Flossie Kent
      • January 18, 2019
      Reply

      Seeing an Aqua Libra can this week I was reminded of the original delicious drink of the 80’s.
      Oh what a disappointment the can was. Just like any other flavoured water, sweet and horrid.
      Bring back the original…………. PLEASE.

      • Industries: Other
      • MEL
      • January 20, 2019
      Reply

      Supply and demand! surely someone can bring back the original ?? I’ll buy it it’s the only drink ever that I prefer to alcohol!!!!

      • Industries: Other
        • Sam
        • August 8, 2019
        Reply

        That’s so funny. I just said the same thing to my sister. It’s the only decent alternative to white wine that exists!

        • Industries: Other
      • Jeff Purchon
      • January 29, 2019
      Reply

      I don’t get why Britvic would not pick up a winning formula and ruin it with sugar.

      • Industries: Buyer Retailer
      • michelle
      • January 29, 2019
      Reply

      Bring back the original flavour, not only did it taste good it was very good for digestive problems……….

      • Industries: Other
      • Kevin Weir
      • February 25, 2019
      Reply

      I drank gallons of the stuff when I was based in Germany. Please give the original a rebirth, I’m sure it will be a massive success 😘

      • Industries: Buyer Retailer
      • WWCoulter
      • April 4, 2019
      Reply

      +1 more to please bring back the original flavors!

      • Industries: Other
      • TS Canada
      • April 22, 2019
      Reply

      My whole family still talks about and misses the original Aqua Libra 😢 What a shame the name is now taken for yet another boring flavored water:(

      • Industries: Other
      • Winstanley
      • April 30, 2019
      Reply

      Like all the other comments I really miss the unique flavour. Bring it back. There are enough fruit flavoured sparkling waters. With the trend away from alcoholic drinks a really adult flavoured non alcoholic drinks is what the public need.

      • Industries: Buyer Operator/On-trade
      • emily
      • May 1, 2019
      Reply

      Please bring back the original aqua libra. It was my favourite drink. The new version is an entirely different story!

      • Industries: Other
      • Jim Robertson
      • June 3, 2019
      Reply

      Bring back the original flavour! So disappointed with the boring rubbish I’ve just tasted.

      • Industries: Buyer Retailer
      • Laura Schneider
      • June 12, 2019
      Reply

      Please, please bring back the original!!! So disappointed in the new “flavors”. There are far too many flavored waters already on the market. Aqua Libra was so wonderfully unique!

      • Industries: Supplier,Other
    2. Reply

      I’ve just turned 40 and my taste buds have finally caught up with Aqua Libra’s distinct taste. Isn’t it crazy that I crave a drink that I actually hated in the 80s? I took one swig of the new one and my heart fell.

      • Industries: Other
      • Nicky Perryman
      • July 6, 2019
      Reply

      I still miss aqua libra. It was the best.

      • Industries: Other
      • Catriona Joyce
      • July 17, 2019
      Reply

      The original Aqua Libra was the most delicious non-alcoholic alternative to wine. It tasted so pure, so refreshing and so subtle it felt healthy and the design of the bottle and labeling was gorgeous. We loved it. Today I tried the new cans. What a disappointment. Why change the formula?????

      • Industries: Buyer Retailer
      • Kathie WL
      • August 2, 2019
      Reply

      Loved it. Miss it. Would buy a case of bottles a month. Nothing has the same taste or level of carbonation. I don’t drink alcohol much, and there are lots of people like me who would love an alternative to all the over-sweet, over-caffeinated, over-bubbly sports drinks, soda pop, and coolers out there.

      • Industries: Other
      • Lawrence Gunn
      • October 1, 2019
      Reply

      I am a former wine retailer in Canada and was one of the first to sell the original Aqua Libra in Canada. I found it very enjoyable and like many other miss it greatly. I found a great number of wine drinkers also liked the product and not with the public backing away from liqueur products there would be a stronger market for this product

      • Industries: Wine Merchant
      • Suzanne
      • November 26, 2019
      Reply

      Yes!
      Bring it back.
      I loved it.

      • Industries: Buyer Retailer
      • Laurie
      • January 3, 2020
      Reply

      I used to buy it by the case in the ’80s and early ’90s. And I’d do so again. You REALLY need to consider bringing it back… its time has finally come.

      • Industries: Other
      • SOPHIA MAXX
      • January 22, 2020
      Reply

      HAS ANYONE RAISED A PETITION FOR THIS TO BE RE-INSTATED?

      • Industries: Buyer Operator/On-trade
      • Leslie Rosemann
      • February 10, 2020
      Reply

      I’m with the rest of the folks… it was so good I still look up every few years if it’s had a rebirth. Vive Aqua Libra!!!! Original of course

      • Industries: Buyer Retailer
      • Roger
      • February 22, 2020
      Reply

      Aqua Libra in its original form to end …
      Biggest stupidity ever.
      I have drank more Aqua Libra in the late 80’s and early 90’s than I have drank water in my 58years.
      Aqua Libra was on my table every morning & evening along the side of my Ruinart🥂

      • Industries: Other
      • Dee
      • February 28, 2020
      Reply

      Please bring it back

      • Industries: Other
      • Julie
      • March 27, 2020
      Reply

      Please bring it back. It was amazing.
      I loved it 😍😍

      • Industries: Other
      • Rosamond Harkins
      • April 11, 2020
      Reply

      …will try to make it but really?!…yes, please bring it back to Canada!

      • Industries: Buyer Retailer ,Buyer Operator/On-trade
      • Janet Cole
      • June 22, 2020
      Reply

      Please bring back the original aqua libra….its the best taste I’ve ever had !!!

      • Industries: Other
      • Julia
      • October 10, 2020
      Reply

      I have wondered where this fabulous drink went…I am always looking, hoping I see it.

      • Industries: Wine Merchant,Other
      • Heather Soles
      • November 17, 2020
      Reply

      Heather Soles
      November 16 2020 Over here in Vancouver, BC ,Canada we still miss and want your lovely original Aqua Libra beverage. It is so delicious and refreshing. Please bring it back. I will gladly buy a case each month !

      • Industries: Buyer Retailer
      • Beth
      • December 9, 2020
      Reply

      Please bring back the original flavour. There was nothing like it

      • Industries: Buyer Retailer
      • Paul
      • December 22, 2020
      Reply

      Miss the original. The only problem was that it was rather expensive and a bottle didn’t last long. A wine glass full was never enough. I could have drank it by the pint.

      • Industries: Wine Producer
      • Steve Roth
      • January 14, 2021
      Reply

      Please BRING IT BACK!!
      There’s nothing like it for people that don’t drink alcohol. Too many other flavoured waters out there and the market is sadly lacking.

      • Industries: Other
      • Lydia Manuel
      • February 22, 2021
      Reply

      The only drink I’ve found that remotely resembles the original Aqua Libra is the Wellman mens energy drink. The new canned version is no version at all!

      • Industries: Buyer Retailer
      • M. Houston
      • March 11, 2021
      Reply

      I’ve been searching for it for years although I buy the new drink it’s most definitely not like the original. Reminded me of my first bar job at the end of the night my drink would be an Aqua Libra on ice with a packet of salted Kettle chips. Bliss.

      • Industries: Other
    3. Reply

      Bring back original please

      • Industries: Other
      • Courtney Bowles
      • October 10, 2021
      Reply

      Bring Back
      AQUA LiBRA original!! Please
      I will buy it by the case weekly

      • Industries: Other
      • Courtney Bowles
      • October 10, 2021
      Reply

      Bring Back
      AQUA LiBRA original!! Please
      I will buy it by the case weekly. This is my first post. It was hard to find you!

      • Industries: Other

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